Genuine Beauty
by Shadow Wars Warrior
Summary: Elijah and Niklaus are returning home from the day's hunt when they find an unconscious young woman with curly blonde hair and a pretty ring... Poor Caroline could never have guessed just how much the Mikaelsons would grow on her, what with trying to hide her vampirism, fighting her feelings for Klaus and left unsure of whether what she does here will change history there.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

"Are you coming, brother?" the eldest living Mikaelson boy called through the trees. Niklaus had stopped short several metres back, and Elijah could no longer see him, nor could he hear the sound of his footsteps. Hefting the buck into a more comfortable position over his shoulders, Elijah began to head back to where he had last seen his brother. "Niklaus?" he called again. There was no response, and Elijah frowned. It was unlike his brother to play tricks, and it would be getting dark soon. So where was he?

Elijah's sense of relief surprised him as he spotted Niklaus not far from where he had been when Elijah had last looked back - he had not realized he had been quite so uneasy. "Niklaus?" he called softly; his brother had a troubled expression, a rare occurrence when Niklaus was not interacting with their father. "Niklaus, what is it?"

His brother finally seemed to notice him, though the troubled look did not leave his face. He shook his head.

"I thought I heard something," he now appeared confused, "but I cannot think what could be making such a noise, nor can I find the direction it came from." Elijah looked around, straining his ears so as to hear this mysterious 'something' of his brother's. A strange cross between a moan and a whimper came from his left, and Elijah looked to his brother for confirmation that this was the noise he had heard. Niklaus had already began to move towards the sound, and Elijah sighed before following him, adjusting the deer on his shoulders once more. If anything, it sounded like a wounded animal. If Niklaus was lucky, it would be something palatable, and they could add it to the stew tonight. If it was an animal and it was _not _wounded, on the other hand...

As they drew closer to whatever it was that was now repeatedly snuffling, Niklaus cried out in surprise, running over and dropping to his knees. Elijah picked up his pace, now thoroughly irked, only to come to a standstill as he saw what his brother was kneeling next to.

It was a girl. She looked not much older than Rebekah, and also sported blonde hair and a fair complexion, though she looked pale and drawn. She was unconscious, slumped at the very base of a large pine tree, and as soon as Elijah's eyes began to travel down to the rest of her body they immediately returned to her face, along with a blush on Elijah's part, for she wore no clothing.

Niklaus turned to him, his eyes wide, and Elijah had a feeling that his face was currently registering the same shock. The girl moaned again, and Niklaus turned back to her, hesitating for a moment before undoing his belt. He took off his jerkin, tossing it aside and standing up to pull his shirt over his head. Elijah swung the deer off of his shoulders and onto the ground before kneeling down to help lift the girl up. Wrapping an arm around her neck, he cradled her head in his other hand and gently pulled her into a sitting position. He couldn't help but notice that the curls of her hair were incredibly soft, and he wondered what a girl like her could possibly be doing out here in the forest.

"Here," Niklaus murmured, placing the collar of his shirt over the girl's head slowly. He reached for her hand, manoeuvering her arm into the sleeve with some difficulty. Her head lolled to the other side and a soft groan escaped her lips. Elijah adjusted her so that she was not slipping, and Niklaus gently pulled her other arm through the other sleeve.

"Do you recognize her at all, Elijah?" he asked his brother as he arranged his shirt to cover the girl properly. Niklaus had never seen her before in his life, and he did not think she was from the village. Elijah shook his head in the negative.

"I don't," he said. Niklaus frowned.

"We should take her back with us," he told Elijah. "Perhaps Mother can find out where she's from."

"Yes," Elijah agreed. "You'll have to carry her, though." He gestured with his head towards the deer lying forgotten on the ground beside them. Niklaus nodded. Throwing his jerkin back on and swiftly buckling his belt, he took the girl from Elijah's hold, scooping an arm underneath her legs and hefting her up. Balancing her on his knee, he got a more comfortable grip on her, using the arm around her upper half to move her limp limbs onto her stomach. A glint caught his eye, and Niklaus raised his eyebrows at the ring on her left forefinger. Surely whoever had taken her clothes would not have passed up the opportunity to take such a pretty ring as well. It was silver, with some kind of blue stone - hardly unnoticeable. This girl certainly was a mystery...

What a surprise the family would get when he and Elijah returned not only with tonight's meal but a guest as well!


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

The spirits were angry. Furious. Niklaus Mikaelson had evaded death – _again_ - and with the help of one of their own, _freely given_, at that. Bonnie Bennett was a loose cannon, that much was now obvious. Something would have to be done about her, as well… but in time. For now, the spirits would have to make do with getting their revenge on Niklaus. Perhaps, in a way, they could get a small measure of revenge on the Bennett girl at the same time. Two birds with one stone, as the humans would say. A price had to be paid, for there was a cost in everything. The spirits would have no qualms in taking something away from the both of them.

They watched as a small slip of a girl, the baby vampire, Caroline, relayed the news of her boyfriend's demise to the doppelgänger with a shake in her soft voice. It was then that they decided that this young one would be the perfect punishment. Close friend of Bonnie Bennett, her disappearance would cause pain not only to the witch but to her other friends and family, making the witch feel worse. Love of Niklaus (though he would have hidden from her in his new form, that of her boyfriend, Tyler, who she assumed dead), her loss would cause him great distress.

And why not take it a step further? Why not torture Niklaus with memories, ones given through and disguised as dreams? Memories of a time when he could have had her, but did not want her, due to his love for another woman? Because the baby vampire would be unable to resist him as a vulnerable young human, it was clear from how she interacted with him as a cynical, thousand year old hybrid. She would be safe under the watch of Esther and Ayanna, too. Esther, who had tried and failed to make up for her wrongdoings, and Ayanna, who had been a part of the line that would lead to Bonnie Bennett. The spirits would enjoy seeing them kept on their toes.

And if the baby tried to change anything… well, maybe they would let her.

* * *

Caroline raced away from the Lockwood cellar, instantly becoming a blur too quick for the average human eye to perceive, had there been any humans around. The only sign that she had gone by was the rustle of the leaves as she sped past them. She was soon deep into the forest, and she let herself slam to a stop against a tree, breathing heavily. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and Caroline whimpered as Tyler's face, in all it's hybrid glory, flashed across her mind's eye. She could still hear his bones cracking as he doubled over in pain, growling at her to go. She found herself struggling for breath as she sunk to the ground, the lump in her throat choking her.

Caroline had been certain that they shared the same bloodline, that she would be dying along with him right now. She imagined them holding each other as they each gasped their last breaths, taking comfort in each other's arms. She had thought they would spend their last moments together; perhaps not old and greying, surrounded by their children and grandchildren, as someone else, someone with a normal life, might have imagined, but with a sense of love and trust and something like fulfilment all the same. Now she would never have that. Now she would have to go on, alone, for the rest of eternity.

She curled in on herself quietly, leaning against the old tree in a bed of pine needles. How could this have happened? How could Klaus have died? He had always seemed so invincible, even after the plan to desiccate him succeeded. Like he would never truly be gone, like he'd always be there, lurking on the sidelines. Caroline wondered if the other Originals were dead now too, if Alaric had gotten to them yet.

But he wasn't Alaric, was he? He was nothing near it, a monster in the body of Elena's guardian. Caroline could still feel the pain in her palms as the pencils held her pinned to the desk, the burning of her face from the gag, the eye-watering sensation of inhaling razor blades every time she took a breath filled with vervain.

That had been the second time Klaus had saved her life. When she had felt the hands grabbing her around the chest and covering her mouth, she had braced herself for the unbearable agony she thought she would soon be experiencing again. Then she had heard his voice in her ear, and his hand had left her mouth, and she had known, then, that everything would be alright (it wasn't, of course; it never was with him), that she was safe. That long look they'd shared (and _God_, that was the last time she'd seen him – the last time she would _ever_ see him), the whispered _thank you_ falling from her lips, the intensity in his eyes… she didn't want to know what to make of it. She didn't want to go there.

Caroline slammed a fist into the pine tree, wanting something, anything to hurt as much as she currently did. Her knuckles stung, and she hissed in pain. Her phone had slipped out of her pocket at the impact, and she realized that she needed to tell the others. Elena needed to know, _Matt_ needed to know. Caroline steeled herself before dialling Elena's cell phone, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down.

"Hello? Caroline?" came her best friend's voice. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

"Elena? It's… it's Tyler. He, um, he… he's gone," Caroline spoke in a whisper, cursing the quiver in her voice. "Is everything alright with you?"

"Oh, Caroline," Elena sighed into the phone, and her voice was breathy in a way that let Caroline know she wasn't alone in her grief. "We're… we're good. As good as can be expected. Matt's driving me home, we'll be over Wickery Bridge soon."

"Okay, good, so… I'll see you guys soon, then," Caroline replied.

"Yeah."

"… Be careful, Elena," Caroline couldn't help but add, a strange feeling creeping up on her. Like somehow, in a weird way, she knew she wasn't going to see her friend again - at least, not the Elena she knew. "Love you."

"You too, Care," she heard Elena say before Caroline hung up, letting her phone slip out of her hand and onto the forest floor and wrapping her arms around her knees. She shivered. It was cold out here, but she couldn't bring herself to get up and go home. Besides, who knew? They might be waiting with pitchforks and torches by the time she got there, ready to lynch her (metaphorically speaking – really, they'd probably just hold her down and stake her).

Caroline sighed, leaning her head back against the tree she was sat under and closing her eyes. She banished all thoughts of Tyler from her head; she thought she might break if she didn't. Instead, her mind wandered back to the other important hybrid in her life (_the other _dead_ hybrid in her life,_ her mind whispered cruelly) – Klaus.

She hated it, hated how everything he did, everything he said, everything he _gave _to her, how it was all undermined by what he did when it did not come to her. What he did to her friends, to her _family_ (because they were her family, Elena and Bonnie and Stefan and, dare she admit it, even Damon), to the people she loved (_Tyler_) and even the people she'd never even met. It was despicable.

Honestly, how could he – how could _anyone_ - be so charming, so romantic, so caring and yet so lonely, so vulnerable and almost _human_ when he was with her, and then be such a hideous monster the rest of the time? It couldn't all be an act, as much as Caroline was tempted to believe that it was, as much as she sometimes wished that it was. Klaus just threw her for a loop every time they interacted. He made her doubt, he made her hope, he made her _want_ and _yearn_ to see things, to do things, to _be_ things. She didn't know what to think when she was around him; he muddled her feelings so thoroughly that she didn't _want_ to think.

And now he was dead. Gone. And that screwed her feelings up into an even tighter little ball.

A dull ache had started in the base of Caroline's skull as she thought of him, and now she began to feel hot. Tears leaked from her eyes once more as she forced herself to take large gulps of air. The heat became stronger, and she unzipped her jacket, shrugging herself out of it. Her eyes snapped open as she realized what was going on. Was this it? Was she dying, now? Panic filled her. But no - when Sage had died she was coughing up blood. Tyler had been coughing, too. So what was this? What was happening to her?

Spots filled Caroline's vision, and suddenly her brain felt like it was exploding. She cried out, clutching her head. Was a witch giving her an aneurism? She looked around frantically, but the forest was silent. Unless they were invisible, there was no one here. She felt like she was suffocating. Her body was on fire; it was as if the sun had suddenly come up and her ring had mysteriously disappeared. Caroline screamed, writhing in pain as she slumped further down the tree. Why did this always happen to her?

_'Caroline.'_ A foreign voice, oddly sexless, echoed in her head. _'Caroline, we apologise for the pain you are experiencing. It will all be over soon.'_

"What?" she cried out, distraught.

_'It is unfortunately necessary for you to experience this pain as you are... moved.'_

"Moved? What are you talking about?" Caroline almost wailed.

_'Goodbye, Caroline.'_

There was a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest; her eyes widened and she whimpered, and then everything went dark.

* * *

_Klaus was dreaming of his human life. He hated dreaming of his human life. All it did was remind him of everything he had lost. In his dream, he and Elijah were out hunting. Having finally downed a deer, Elijah hauled it up onto his shoulders and they began to head home. Then he heard a strange noise; it sounded like a moan and a whimper rolled into one. Where was it coming from? Klaus cursed his pathetic human body. His hearing was useless in this form. How irritating, honestly… being a dream, why could he not still have his enhanced hybrid senses?_

_ "Niklaus, what is it?" Elijah asked, suddenly only a few metres away. From the look on his face, it was not the first time he had tried to get his attention._

_ "I thought I heard something," Klaus told him, "but I cannot think what__ could be making such a noise, nor can I find the direction it came from."_ _ Klaus shook his head at the futility of it all, watching as Elijah listened for the noise himself with a slightly sceptical expression. It sounded again, and Klaus found himself starting to move towards it inadvertently. He thought he heard Elijah sigh behind him as they both headed towards the sound, which had turned into a snuffling of sorts._

_ Klaus cried out as he spotted some familiar blonde curls, pooled around the head of the girl who had so recently left the cellar he now resided in. His beautiful Caroline. The young woman he was fairly certain he was falling in love with. He ran over, dropping to the ground, and his eyes widened. What was she doing _here?_ Then Klaus rationalized. This was a dream; of course Caroline was here. Dreams didn't have to make sense. Even if he'd never dreamed of her in his human life before._

_ He looked to his brother (who was strangely shocked, for a figment of his imagination). Looking back at his beloved Caroline, he found himself hesitating before undoing his belt; taking his jerkin off slowly, instead of tearing it off as he wanted to. Discarding it, Klaus stood up to take his shirt off as well, and Elijah lifted Caroline up so that he could put it over her naked form. Whereas he might normally have spent some time appreciating her state of complete undress, Caroline was unconscious and therefore in need of help. She did not_ _need him leering at her like a lecher, so he knelt down again._

_ "Here," Klaus murmured, fondly, as he manoeuvred Caroline into his shirt. It was more difficult than he'd been expecting – after all, he'd had some practice putting women into clothing while they were out cold (or, more often - dead). His hands were oddly clumsy. And then he found himself saying something completely against his will, something that was quite possibly the _stupidest_ thing he'd ever said, in all his one thousand years._

_ "Elijah, do you recognise her at all?"_

Now_ he was confused. Of course Elijah recognised her, Caroline was only the girl he'd been mooning over for _weeks_. Klaus had _never_ mooned over _anyone, _not like this, not since they'd turned. Not since Tatia. So why was he asking such a dumb question?_

_ "I don't," Elijah replied, and Klaus frowned. What was with these dream-selves? Had they taken complete leave of their senses? It appeared so._

_ "We should take her back with us. Perhaps Mother can find out where she's from." It suddenly became clear to Klaus that he was not the one in control in this dream. An idea as to _why_ niggled in his mind, but before he could put his finger on it, it slipped away._

_ "Yes," Elijah agreed with him. "You'll have to carry her, though." He gestured to the buck they'd shot down and slit the throat of less than an hour ago. Klaus nodded, putting his jerkin back on, doing his belt up and taking Caroline from Elijah carefully. She was heavier than he was expecting; again, this human body defied his memory and what he knew it should be capable of with its lack of strength and dulled senses. Klaus had to balance her on his knee to get a good grasp, and he moved her arms onto her stomach awkwardly. Her daylight ring glinted in the sun, and his dream-self raised his eyebrows at it._

_ He found himself thinking of the surprise his family would get when they returned home with a guest as well as this evening's dinner…_

**AN: So, Chapter 1 is up! I thought I'd include some different perspectives in this one, and explain exactly how and why Caroline has been deposited in Mystic Falls circa 1000 AD. Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, it's a real buzz!**

**Caroline should be meeting the rest of the Original family next chapter, and **_**that**_** should be interesting, particularly Esther's reaction. Honestly, though, I know about as much as you guys when it comes to the details before I start writing - I just go with where my mind takes me, so hold on tight :)**

**Again, thanks for all the reviews, the follows, the favourites… just thank you for all the support!**

**Lots of love,**

**Shadows**


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